Milk Kefir Starter Kit

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Milk kefir grains are live active cultures consisting of yeast and bacteria existing in a symbiotic relationship. Adding the kefir grains to fresh milk yields a delicous probiotic drink in about 24 hours. Milk kefir can be enjoyed plain, flavored, or used in many recipes, like salad dressing, bread, and ice cream.

Milk Kefir Grains Ingredients:

Organic powdered milk, organic milk, live active cultures. Packaged in a small amount of organic powdered milk to extend shelf life.

This product contains no GMO ingredients.

Shipping Information: Our milk kefir grains are shipped in a dehydrated state in a barrier-sealed packet. The product keeps

At room temperature (68°-78°F): 12 to 18 months

In the refrigerator (40°-45°F): 18+ months

In the freezer (0°-25°F): not recommended

Milk Kefir Grains Allergen Information:

Our Milk Kefir Grains are a gluten-free product. Manufactured in a facility that also produces products containing soy and dairy.

Why I Love This Product

Making milk kefir is easy, simple, and fruitful... when you have good kefir grains. I have been making milk kefir for our family for years and have sourced kefir grains both from Cultures for Health and from friends who had gotten them from a friend who had gotten them from a friend. The Cultures for Health milk kefir grains have worked wonderfully every time... as long as I took proper care of them. At one point I was unable to get my grains to multiply or grow in size, but soon discovered that our kitchen was much too cold for them to thrive. With some changes, the grains became active and began to multiply with fervor. If it weren't for my own forgetfulness, I believe these grains could last a lifetime. Shannon, CFH Content Writer

Questions on Milk Kefir Starter Kit

I'd like to use the Kefir Grains for raw goat's milk. When I get them, can I rehydrate them in raw goat's milk so they will work better when I make my first batch?

You can rehydrate your grains in goat milk but you must pasteurize the milk until the grains are producing good kefir. Plan on a few weeks of pasteurizing your raw milk, being sure it has completely cooled to room temp or lower before adding the grains, as temps above 85ºF will damage the grains. This article will help with transitioning to raw milk: http://www.culturesforhealth.com/introducing-milk-kefir-grains-raw-milk/

Yes, milk kefir grains and water kefir grains are two different cultures, each with its own set of bacteria and yeast. Milk grains require lactose from milk to survive, while water kefir depends on nutrients from cane sugar and water.

I would like to place an order. I am currently in Kentucky for an extended stay. My home is in Ohio. Delivery address is a UPS box. Our mail is only picked up once a week. Will the kefir grains last up to 2 weeks in a mail box?

Although the grains are shelf stable for several weeks, during the summer months It is not advisable to order them if you are unable to retrieve them upon delivery. Heat will damage the grains, even though they are dehydrated. Unless you are certain the UPS facility can maintain its room temperature, it's best to send them to an address where the recipient can get the package, and then refrigerate it until you return. Or, you can wait to place your order.

Sometimes I go abroad for 4 to 6 weeks. Obviously I cannot take the culture with me. How would it best be stored so I can reactivate it on my return?

Milk kefir grains can be stored in milk in the fridge for up to 3 weeks (use an airtight lid). Unless you can find someone to change the milk while you're gone, you should plan to dehydrate the grains and rehydrate them again when you return.

Customer Reviews

At first, I had a hard time finding the tiny grains in the porridge like consistency of the curds. Living in Arizona my house is warm so I had to increase the amount of cold milk and watch it closely to avoid the milk separating into curds and whey. After 7 days, I think I've got it. My kefir is now perfect. I love it best ice cold in a chilled drinking glass. So glad I was patient and persistence in activating the grains.

This is my first Kefir purchase and I am impressed with the product, the information and video instructions available on line. All has gone well, they rehydrated well and I've been enjoying the finished Kefir. My only complaint was the shipping cost. There has to be a better way, it was close to twice the price of the product!

Response from CFH: We must ship to Canada by Expedited Shipping, so it can be pricey. We do offer retail locations in Canada. Some of our retail locations may be willing to ship to you. Here is the map that lists those locations: http://www.culturesforhealth.com/ustorelocator/location/map

i am so glad i got this kit - so nice to have a dedicated strainer only for the kefir - i never have to go looking for it...
At first i was really wondering if this was going to work, but it really did take about a week for the kefir packet to rehydrate and start growing and actually making the kefir.
Now it is like having an enthusiastic pet ~ every day a new jar of kefir and at first i thought whoah, when am i going to eat all this? then realized oh ya, let it rest in milk (changed often) in the fridge til i catch up with stuffing my face...
I tell you my gut is SOOOOO HAPPY!... who knew? i used to think yogurt was healthy, but i tell you my gut loves the kefir waayyyyy more.... i notice i have stayed healthier as well this winter since eating kefir daily as well ( my fav is putting frozen orange juice concentrate in - tastes like creamsicles - i may never eat ice cream again!) also chop in some fruit).... so good!!

I got my first kefir grains in the mail and started the re-hydration process. After 7 days of not working I thought that the room I was keeping it in was too cold so I moved it to a smaller room where I could increase the heat. Unfortunately it died a horrible death at the hands of a nasty invasive bacteria or yeast. I contacted customer support and they walked me through some possible problems and I discovered that the kefir was too near a couple of potted plants on the shelf with it in the new space and that is where the invaders must have come from. Within 2 days of getting new grains and following their suggestions I had delicious kefir! Now several weeks later I am still getting a new batch about every 12 hours, making kefir cheeses and smoothies too! Great product and a pleasure to work with the people at C for H!

I ordered my kit about a month or so ago and in about 3 days was making smooth, creamy kefir. Now I not only drink it straight-- delish! but make kefir cheese, ice cream and use it as a starter for my homemade whole grain bread. Can you tell I am a satisfied customer? I love dealing with CFH because they have awesome products and great customer service!

Easy-peasy! That's what I like! TWO days to "AWAKE them"-then off to the races!
The nuances of flavor are superior to bottled commercial product,plus no pectin,which by itself is not bad but-HEY! this is milk not jelly. I like the effervescence ...try it on fresh raspberries!

When I first discovered Kefir in the grocery store I thought it was expensive but I knew I needed probiotics. I was doing a lot of reading on Pinterest about real foods and some articles on Kefir. I also subscribed to some blog emails and read them for a while before I decided to try making Kefir at home. The instructive videos made it look very easy and store bought can get expensive.
I've been keeping to the basic formula but want to try some variety. The benefits I've noticed from using home made Kefir are well worth all the reading and watching videos. Thanks for making the purchase so affordable and simple.

I picked Cultures for Health over less expensive options because I figured I would be paying for quality backed up by customer service and reputation. I liked the quality of the information given and the patience of the staff in chat.

I was not disappointed. I was worried that my culture might not thrive, but quickly it activated to the point that I needed to back up my grains, as I couldn't afford to buy that much milk every day. Within a month and a half a good 3/4 of my purchased grains needed to be dried for backup, and just one small and very active grain thickens six cups of kefir very well every 24 hours. Awesome.

I have been using the milk kefir grains for about a month now. I use 1% organic milk and the kefir tastes great. My husband makes kefir smoothies every morning, I use it to replace buttermilk in recipes(bread, pancakes). I have also been hanging it to separate the whey (breadmaking) and use the thickened kefir like sour cream. We use about 3 quarts a week of kefir a week. I have already shared grains with a friend. Thanks for a great product!

Customer service is excellent. I was having very good results with my kefir grains until I transitioned them to raw milk without following the guidelines. I plan to buy more products from this company.

Before purchasing the Milk Starter Kit I watched the "How to" videos and read the "How to" information links provided on the Cultures for Health website. I purchased the proper milk, and whatever else I needed. When the kit was on it's way to my home I got a little nervous, being my first attempt at fermenting so I used the easy "Leave a Message" service at the bottom of the screen to ask additional questions. I was helped immediately. I was making more of a fuss than the project called for :) The kit arrived right on time. I put everything together following the easy instructions and we enjoy delicious kefir every morning. It's been a great and rewarding experience. Thank you Cultures for Health.

I cannot recommend this kit. The booklet that comes with it is convenient to have, but contains recipes and information that is easily found on this web site. Also included is the general instructions sheet (you don't need the booklet).
The biggest issue I have is the 3.5" strainer that came with the kit. (and this was the reason I bought the kit - to get a strainer) It is too big for the wide mouth mason jars, and the mesh is too fine to strain the kefir (you must put very small amounts of kefir into it and force it through the fine mesh - time consuming and messy). Save some money and buy the grains alone,

CFH Note: The 3.5" mesh strainer is perfect for trapping even the smallest baby grain. A silicone or rubber spatula can be used to gently stir the kefir in the strainer to speed up the straining process A canning funnel can be used with the strainer for easy straining into wide mouth or regular mouth canning jars, the strainer sits on top of the funnel.

If you are having any problems, please contact customersupport@culturesforhealth.com for assistance.

They arrived in good condition. Instructions were good. For some reason the kefir is not getting thick. It stays rather chilly in my house about 68 and it is hard to find a warm place to put the grains. My husband does not like that I am culturing kefir so I can't leave it out on the fridge or out someway. It is beginning to get better but I think it is the temperature of the house. I am happy with the cultures and they have matured to look like grains I have seen online. I recommend cultures for health to anyone who will listen. I also really appreciate the videos on your site which I watched more than once to make sure I was doing things right.

Response from CFH: Temperature is very important when starting any culture. For tips on keeping cultures warm, please see our article with tips for culturing in cool weather: http://www.culturesforhealth.com/cold-weather-winter-care-starter-cultures-foods/

It took me quite some time to rehydrate the kefir grains. I definitely would recommend using a type of heat source if you are doing this during the cold winter months. After 4 weeks I finally have some good kefir. Will have to experiment with different flavors and uses. Thanks for the support and help from your knowledgeable staff.

I have now finished switching my keifer grains over to raw Jersey milk. My kefir is thick and delicious. I didn't experience any problems along the way and did not require any support. The video and written instructions were clear and very helpful. I am looking forward to making the soft cheese.

Bought the milk kefir kit and glad I did because I needed another plastic strainer. I've been making water kefir and we love it! Couldn't wait to try making milk kefir. My first grains worked fine for about two weeks and then quit. Talked to Anita by email a few times. She made several suggestions but I just couldn't get the grains to thicken the milk. I think my problem was that although I was using organic milk (Horizons) it is ultra-pasteurized (which is why it has a shelf-life of two months!). I started using just plain pasteurized milk and have had no problems. I will eventually use raw milk when I can locate it around here. Love using kefir as a buttermilk replacement in baking and the cheese is great for making ranch dip and dressing! We don't drink smoothies much, but I know they are very tasty made with fresh fruit and berries. I am so glad I tried milk kefir!

This is my first time fermenting. The starter kit is perfect for people like me. I had to be patient waiting for the grains to "wake up" as it is the middle of winter and our kitchen is on the cool side. My kefir is delicious! Thank you for all the information and encouragement on the website. It gave me the confidence I needed to get started.

The grains shipped quickly and I had no trouble getting it to start up. I've only been making milk kefir for 12 days now and it's going very well. Sometimes too well. My kefir was getting made too quickly for the amount that I wanted to drink. And it tended to be too thick since the organic dairy I was using has all Jersey cows who make very creamy milk. So I switched to 2% milk of theirs and put the culture for a time in a 60 degree room to slow it down a little and now it's going fine for me. I easily get two pints a day and have started drinking more kefir. I like it with vanilla and stevia in it. My stomach likes it better than the yogurt I had been eating every day. The support is top-flight. Very easy to get help which I've done twice now. Wonderful company.

(Posted on 1/12/2015)

Attention!

Starter cultures, rennet for cheese making and cultured vegetables, juices and condiments are sensitive to excessive heat. Once your order has shipped, an e-mail with tracking information will be sent to you. We encourage you to use the tracking information to anticipate the arrival of your items so they can be removed from the mail box and stored in the refrigerator promptly.

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